6 Months In Thailand A Year

[HomeisThai]

Hi

A question to ask anyone who lives between countries.

Do you have a home you own outright to leave your belongings and base yourself at when you go home, if not where do you leave your stuff while you are abroad in Thailand for a long period?

I know its a strange question but I have been thinking about dividing my time between England and Thailand/Oz but i have always wondered where people leave their belongings when they do this.

[kennkate]

I spent 6 months in the LOS last year, left my stuff in the house that I own. Bit of a bummer having to pay council tax.

Was thinking if I did that again I woul probably Let the house out on a 6 month Tennancy agrement.

Thats the council tax taken care of, and a bit more income.

If you have anything of great value, that you dont want to leave in the care of others you could put it in storage.

Of course you may come back to be faced with redecorating, replacing the odd carpet ect. But you should have sufficant income to cover.Up To You

[HomeisThai]

I spent 6 months in the LOS last year, left my stuff in the house that I own. Bit of a bummer having to pay council tax.

Was thinking if I did that again I woul probably Let the house out on a 6 month Tennancy agrement.

Thats the council tax taken care of, and a bit more income.

If you have anything of great value, that you dont want to leave in the care of others you could put it in storage.

Of course you may come back to be faced with redecorating, replacing the odd carpet ect. But you should have sufficant income to cover.Up To You

Ahhh I dont own you see.

I have thought about buying a cheap place to do as you said above, but i think i would worry about not getting a tenant...hmmm something to think about, shame i dont share with a good friend, i know they would rent out my room then for a short period and i could come back to it.

[LoveBug]

Don't they have storage units? A place where you can store your belongings for a fee? It's like renting a room but not for yourself. For your stuff.

[Nignoy]

Easy Peasy, we use housesitters when we are away from home, have been doing this for years never had a problem, garden and pet always in good hands Nignoy

[khunandy]

Hi

A question to ask anyone who lives between countries.

Do you have a home you own outright to leave your belongings and base yourself at when you go home, if not where do you leave your stuff while you are abroad in Thailand for a long period?

I know its a strange question but I have been thinking about dividing my time between England and Thailand/Oz but i have always wondered where people leave their belongings when they do this.

I bought an apartment, lock and leave! It has worked out well

Edited February 12, 2008 by khunandy

[HomeisThai]

So you guys still pay the mortgage while away as well as house sitters?

If I owned a house outright I would 100% spend 6 months here 6 months in Asia.

dam_n I need to start buying lottery tickets...

Unless anyone wants to give me £100k

[astral]

I bought an apartment, lock and leave! It has worked out well

Be careful.

Your household insurance is probably invalid if the property is not occupied for more than 30 days.

[jstumbo]

Your household insurance is probably invalid if the property is not occupied for more than 30 days.

My brother got hit by that in the US. He bought a second house to fix up and flip it. He told the insurance company what he was doing. They said no problem. Then after about 3 months of working on it (a major remodel) someone broke in one night, stole all of his tools that he was using to remodel it (unfortunately about $3000 worth of my tools also). When he contacted the insurance company, they refused to pay because it had been vacant for too long.

[submaniac]

Hi, I do the commuting bi/continental thing too. I have a house in the states, and I regularly go back and forth between the states and Thailand. I have a legal practice in the states, and most of my stuff (wills, trusts, contracts) I can do from anywhere in the world and email back to 'my people', so I can spend months in Thailand without a problem.

I do leave most of my stuff at my house, and aside as serving as a base of operations when I return, it is primarily for 'stuff storage'. Given the cost of a mortgage, it is kind of 'pricey' stuff storage. But pretty much I have a 'double set' of my stuff (cars, furniture, and--most importantly guitars!) one in the states and one in Thailand.

I actually do not know what would be the best option for you if you want to split your time between countries. It would depend on alot of factors. First and foremost, how much 'stuff' do you have? If you do not, a storage room may be the most economical way to handle 'stuff' storage (at least compared to making mortgage payments on a house or...um "flat" as the Brits or Ozzies would say).

I mean if you could afford to purchase a house, by all means do so, but I do not know what the housing situation would be like in England or Oz. I CAN tell you that in the states, the housing market is in a glut. I ended up buying at the wrong time, and the house has depreciated. I do not want you to get caught up in the same thing I did. If the housing prices are low now (as they are in the states) then buy now, and use it as both a base of ops and as an investment for when housing prices rise.

Another option I would seriously consider, if I was you, is perhaps buying a 2 or 3 bedroom flat (we call 'em "condos" in the states) near a university or some major educational institution. Why? Because they are easy to rent out to students and are usually constantly occupied. You could rent out one or two rooms in the place to students, and have a bedroom for your own use when you return. Or, alternatively, since the students will be gone 3 months a year for summer break, you can rent out the entire place during the academic year and then take it over when they are gone for summer. It would be a constant source of income, AND a place to stay for part of the year.

[Boo]

best realistic option is to buy a 2 bed flat or small house, then get a tennant & give them preferred rent to compensate for you keeping & using one of the rooms for part of the year. When you are back you share costs of bills but you basically live rent free. Then just put a big padlock on the door & your stuff is (in theory) safe.

[fatfather]

If you really want your freedom in travelling around, what for you need much belongings? I stay about 22-26 weeks per year in Thailand and the rest of the year I travell for jobs or I stay in my home country. It's enough to have the things in the suit case, the rest is only ballast. Try to get rid of superfluous things and you'll feel real free. You only think you need all this stuff, but if you don't miss 'em for 6 month, why miss 'em at all?

[misterme]

I have a condo at home that is rented out. It has a seperate storage unit, that I use for my stuff.

[SirPaul]

Firstly, Rental of storage units, recommend the place in Jontiem near Pattaya, Thailand

Secondly - be pepared to chuck stuff - far cheaper then keeping it. Sell it, give it away or put bin. By new when you need it. New is usually better than the old thing you were keeping.

Thirdly, the main place you stay is the place you work and earn money - that is the place you have to keep going no matter what. Does not have to be big as you are only working. The fun is in Thailand.

Something you can try, buy a place in Thailand and get a Thai lady to take care of you and when you go, she can take care of the place for you. This is probably the dearest option of all!!!

Edited February 17, 2008 by SirPaul

[keekwai]

I just follow the old adage "What you can't carry on your back isn't worth having" .. Ok .. a bit over the top .. but I still try my best to travel light .. I guess I'm a Gypsy at heart.

[abdulrahman]

I just follow the old adage "What you can't carry on your back isn't worth having" .. Ok .. a bit over the top .. but I still try my best to travel light .. I guess I'm a Gypsy at heart.

Every 5 years,sell,donate or throw away most (95%) of the things you have accumulated.Life will be much easier.Another Gypsy!

[tracer5050]

I go to LOS ever 90 days usally stay around 30 days. most of my work can be handled over internet, But need to come to the US to sign paper ect. I have ask people ,and looked for storgage units which i could leave one or two suit cases in around BKK does anyone know it there is anyting like this in BKK, Would be better in the rachida area

[LPCustom69]

The same situation recently happened to my sister on her house. The insurance company found out that she was away for 2 months (illness), and invalidated her homeowners insurance. She was able to get a policy, but it went from $100+ a month to almost $600 a month because it is unoccupied for stretches. She was told that if she were away for months, and something happened to the house and/or contents, she would not be covered. So, be careful.

Your household insurance is probably invalid if the property is not occupied for more than 30 days.

My brother got hit by that in the US. He bought a second house to fix up and flip it. He told the insurance company what he was doing. They said no problem. Then after about 3 months of working on it (a major remodel) someone broke in one night, stole all of his tools that he was using to remodel it (unfortunately about $3000 worth of my tools also). When he contacted the insurance company, they refused to pay because it had been vacant for too long.

[arco27]

I change between OZ and LOS about every three months, one lover in OZ and an other one in LOS, bed is always made and food is cooked, garden and pets are looked after, no problems at all, maybe I should get a place in Rio as well (wishfull thinking)

[mazuntex]

We've "downsized" to nothing a couple of times since retirement. At the moment we have a rented apartment in Thailand and a few things that are not replacable (like photo albums) stored in a friends closet in Canada. We own the stuff, fridge, washing machine, TV, dishes, pots etc in Thaniland and just pay the very cheap rent and leave the "stuff" here when we travel. Ah...freedom! A pair of Gypsys.

[baz69er]

Hi

A question to ask anyone who lives between countries.

Do you have a home you own outright to leave your belongings and base yourself at when you go home, if not where do you leave your stuff while you are abroad in Thailand for a long period?

I know its a strange question but I have been thinking about dividing my time between England and Thailand/Oz but i have always wondered where people leave their belongings when they do this.

Hi there,

I have been renting my house out over the last 4 years while traveling, & alot of my junk is in my loft, my tenant agreement is that the loft is out of bounds, its padlocked up, but theres nothing of any value up there, all my valuable things i keep with a family member ........

[boggzzy]

IT depends on your financial position. i rented a studio apartment at Satip place on Sukumvit soi 56 for 4k a month. it was not the ritz but it was OK.it worked out cheaper than usings hotels. i was back to Bkk every six weeks at that time.

[koheesti]

If you really want your freedom in travelling around, what for you need much belongings? I stay about 22-26 weeks per year in Thailand and the rest of the year I travell for jobs or I stay in my home country. It's enough to have the things in the suit case, the rest is only ballast. Try to get rid of superfluous things and you'll feel real free. You only think you need all this stuff, but if you don't miss 'em for 6 month, why miss 'em at all?

I just follow the old adage "What you can't carry on your back isn't worth having" .. Ok .. a bit over the top .. but I still try my best to travel light .. I guess I'm a Gypsy at heart.

Well, I hate Gypsies but I agree with the policy of having as few possessions as possible. If I can't carry it all, I won't take it. I've moved several times doing just that - giving what I couldn't take with me all away to friends. The most free I ever felt was the first time I left my home country back in '94. Gave away my car, furniture, clothing, etc. All I took with me was the largest allowed carry on bag. What a great feeling. Nowadays, I check a bag. Getting old I guess. If you're going back to the same countries, you can always get a friend to hold onto a small box of stuff you'll need.

[obsession]

I leave my home empty, but realise its only insured for the first 3 months of my 5 months away. Its insured if it burns down, but not for vandalism or burst pipes. Its mortgage free but I wouldnt rent it out as I rent out others and its a lot of hassle and not in your own home. I try to sell a house/apartment every year for profit. The money goes far in asia.